Okay, it’s the Fall and the leaves are beginning to turn, thoughts
of those warm, sunny days on the beach are beginning to fade as the
temperature slowly drops its way towards hockey season. You are
excited about the first drop of the puck and getting comfortable
with your new team. This is a perfect time to take stock of your
goals for the season and plan steps it will take to achieve them.
Well, here are a few thoughts I’d like you to think about as you
begin your season-long adventure:

Accept Constructive
Criticism, but Only Use What Fits Your Style of Play

Many people (coaches, parents, friends, teammates, referees,
snack bar workers) will have an opinion about your game. You should
have an open mind to listen to what they say. Ultimately, it is YOUR
choice what you choose to pull out of your “tool bag” when you play
goal. I have always believed in teaching concepts that apply to ALL
styles of play. Things like attacking space, understanding shooting
options, reading plays, body control and efficient save techniques
are applicable whether you play a butterfly, hybrid or blockage
style of goal. If someone is forcing you to play a way that you
believe is not correct, then you have to stand up for what you
believe in. You should be open to learning new “tweaks” to your game
that can take you to another level. As you move up into higher
levels of play, it’s often the “little things” that can elevate your
game or prevent you from achieving your potential. Pay attention to
details, keep learning but follow your instincts because no one but
you can determine the choices you make when you play.

Try Not To Get Frustrated. Failure Is A Part of Getting
Better!

I’ve seen my share of angry goalies over the
three decades I’ve been coaching goalies. News flash: You will get
scored on now and then. You will not go through your career with a
0.00 goals against average. Now that you know that it is impossible
to be perfect, learn to view goals against you as a chance to grow.
If you keep getting beat top shelf glove or through the 5 Hole,
there is a reason for it. You can swear, break your stick over the
cross-bar and have a lovely temper tantrum, but there is a rational
reason why it happened. If a trend is developing, find out what
“tweaks” you can make to correct the problem. Maybe your glove is
too far behind your body or your back shoulder is not turning in the
direction of the top shelf shot. On 5 Hole shots, your back may be
too straight or your hands too far back to maintain a tight seal
between the knees. You can be emotional for a moment, but then get
rational to figure out why the goal goes in. In the 2011 playoffs I
saw Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard get beat top shelf glove by a
Phoenix forward from the bottom of the left face-off circle. A few
minutes later, another player took the same shot from the same
location, but Howard changed the angle of his glove hand and made
the save. That is a terrific in-game adjustment made by an observant
goalie.

Drills Have a Purpose for Goalies Too! Don’t
Be a Puck Receptacle!

If you just mindlessly hang
out in the net waiting for shots to come, you are totally blowing
your practice. Every drill (even the boring ones) can have a
goaltending purpose. Yeah, I know breakout drills can be dull.
However, if you seriously practice your sets, quick outs and passes
during the dump-in aspect of the drill, you may not have as many
giveaways in games when the opponents are fore-checking your D. When
you are taking long shot warm-up drills, are you paying attention to
where the rebounds go? A lot of goalies put the rebounds right back
into play or swat them on auto-pilot to the same exact spot after
each save. It won’t take a rocket scientist on an opposing team to
figure out where to camp out for your rebounds. No matter how hard
it is to be “in the moment” in each drill, try to do it anyway. If
you are used to training with a purpose, you will be a consistent,
solid goalie in games.

Enjoy the Journey to Appreciate
the End Result

No matter what the field, all
successful people have one thing in common: perseverance. Vince
Lombardi once said that “inches make champions”. His point was that
if his offensive line could keep creating one more inch of space for
his running backs, those inches would add up into yards as the
season went along. Goaltending is very similar. You can’t just
expect to be an all-star without paying attention to the incremental
improvements that must happen along the way. You must overcome
temporary failures, believe in yourself when no one else does, take
charge of every detail of your game and enjoy the moments that
ultimately lead to your end goal.